Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yesterday I promised to veganize a classic recipe we all know. Well what is more classic than Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies? Most of us know how the should taste, right?

So I went to the store and hid in an aisle while taking a picture of this recipe with my phone. Then I came home and put my veganizing skills to the test.

My discreet efforts to take the picture in a grocery store

My choice of egg replacer was chickpea flour. Unlike bananas, apple sauce, or flax seeds, chickpea flour is virtually tasteless. Additionally it's much lighter so it won't compromise the cookie's ability to rise. (There certainly are recipes where these other choices are preferable, but we can get into that later.) However chickpea flour does not work as a leavener itself and therefore I also added 1/2 teaspoon baking powder for each egg I was replacing (1 teaspoon total).
 
Eggs are about a 1/4 cup liquid  each so I needed 1/2 cup of the chickpea flour/water mixture (1:1 ratio). This measures out to be 3 Tablespoons of chickpea flour and water (each) per egg.

okay, to the recipe....

Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie - Veganized
 2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp chickpea flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp water
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Blend together the chickpea flour and water in a food processor or blender until thick and creamy. Set aside.
Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and powder.
In a separate bowl cream together margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. While blending, slowly add the chickpea mixture until fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and blend together. Be careful not to over-mix.
Add chocolate chips and nuts (I used pecans) and fold in by hand.

Drop heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet. It works best if the sheet is covered by wax paper or a silpat. If you have neither, lightly oil the pan and your cookies will be just fine.
Cook for 9-11 minutes, until golden around the edges.

Pull the out and allow them to cool.
Let's do a visual comparison...

My non-vegan tasters (my husband and my dog) were extremely found of these. I believe I heard my husband call them "the best cookies I have ever had" while my dog just begged her praises.

These cookies were just how I remembered them. A little crisp on the outside with a soft, gooey, buttery inside. I would have to say, success.

*Chickpea flour, in it's raw form, has a fairly strong, fairly bad taste.When baked, you won't notice it at all, I promise. However if you are a cookie dough snacker I would suggest switching out the flour for ground flax seeds or commercial egg replacer.

*If you have any questions regarding specific recipes or any suggestions of foods I should try here on my blog, leave a comment. Together we will veganize!

Replacing Eggs

As a vegan baker the most common question I get is, "What do you do about the eggs?"  The response to that question has so many right answers and I often offer up simple examples. But I want to say, "What do you use eggs for?" because truth is, eggs just aren't that necessary.

1. Eggs for baking. In baking, eggs are used as a leavener or more commonly a binder. Traditionally cookies, muffins, pancakes, quick-breads, and cakes all use eggs for these purposes. Turns out many natural foods can bind and leaven. Here are a few:

Flax seeds as eggs

Banana - good for muffins, pancakes, and quick breads, although it will add a banana flavor.
Yogurt- with soy, almond, and coconut options you can use this without adding unwanted flavors
Apple Sauce - helps in the binding of ingredients without adding extra density.
Flax seeds - a great natural egg replacer with many health benefits.
Chickpea flour- both binding and leavening, chickpea flour might be one of the best natural egg replacers for baked goods
*these egg replacers work mostly as binding agents so when using them in baked goods, you will often want to add an extra 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp baking powder to increase the leavening. Click here for more details and benefits of these replacers and more.

2. Eggs for custards. Ice cream, mousse,  pastry cream, creme brulee, and cheesecake are all examples of common custards. By definition custards are thickened by the coagulation of egg proteins. Sounds hard to duplicate? Not at all.

Cashew Pastry Cream

Cashews- soaked cashews ground with water create a very similar consistency, high in fat and protein, to whipped egg yolks.
Coconut Milk- fatty and thick, coconut milk can be used to replace whipped eggs and heavy cream. If you don't believe get your hands on some Coconut Bliss Ice Cream.
Agar Powder - as a gelling agent, agar powder creates a similar coagulation that allows custards to "set-up" into desired consistency.



3. Eggs for meringue. There is something incredible about the way egg whites whip up into beautiful, clean, clouds of nothing and then piped into perfect french macaroons, folded into an melt-in-your-mouth angel food cake, or whipped into pillow-soft marshmallow. So was there any way to emulate this? I was skeptical.

Ener-g Egg Replacer - I hadn't even thought to try turning this powdered commercial egg replacer into a light and delicate meringue. But thank goodness other people had. These mint chocolate chip meringue cookies have accomplished the impossible and look amazing! Check out these vegan french macaroons. One look at these and you'll never look back.

Soy Protein Isolate Powder, Guar Gum, and Xanthan Powder- these different powders are used as thickeners and emulsifiers and when mixed up (with water) created a creamy substitution to egg whites. This marshmallow recipe shows how together these ingredients can create the perfect meringue.

4. Eggs in eggs. Did you ever think you'd be able to eat  a frittata, omelet or quiche again? Well even these classic egg dishes can be veganized and remain delicious

Tofu Frittata with Swiss Chard

Tofu - firm and soft, silken and regular. There are so many kinds of tofu and because of it's consistency and ability to soak up flavor, tofu is considered one of the best egg replacers.  Here is an amazing looking vegan omelet, just check out the reviews! Or check out this tofu frittata on the left. Hard to tell the difference, right?

Chickpea flour- with surprising similar texture and flavor to eggs, chickpea flour has become a common substitution for omelets and quiches. Check out this good looking recipe.

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I hope this sheds some light onto the incredibly complex question, "What do you do about the eggs?" In truth the question is so complex there could be books written on the subject. Perhaps libraries full of books written on the subject...okay now I'm exaggerating...maybe.
Tomorrow I'm putting it to the test for you all to see. I am going to take one of the oldest recipes, a recipe we all know, and duplicate it - just without the eggs.

So check in tomorrow for the results!

Stocking the Vegan Pantry

Don't you love opening up the pantry to well-organized, well-stocked shelves of vegan goods? Or looking over a recipe and realizing you have everything needed to make exactly what you crave? Ah, life's true joys. When I first went vegan I spent a lot of time reading cookbooks and looking over their pantry lists asking myself if I had everything I needed to be a well-stocked vegan. Over time I have found answers to that question and in the process compiled my own pantry list.

Agar Powder- Used in place of gelatin. Not needed often, but virtually irreplaceable in certain recipes.
Apple Sauce- Makes a great egg replace for baked goods like muffins and sweet breads.
Baking Powder and Soda- Needed in almost every baking recipe
Bananas- So many uses: egg replacers, thickeners, and sweeteners to name a few
Brown Rice Syrup- A great, healthy sugar substitute with a caramel-like flavor.
Cocoa Powder- Morning, noon, and night there is always something in need of chocola-fying 
Coconut Milk- This fatty creamy milk is important in many savory dishes and necessary in many sweet ones.
Coconut, Shredded- Useful to have around for spontaneous baking inspirations.
Dried Beans- Buy in bulk because this should be the bulk of your protein.
Extracts-I always have vanilla, almond, orange, and peppermint in my pantry.
Flax seeds- These so-good-for-you seeds are great on salads, in baked goods, and even as a healthy egg replacer, like mentioned here.
Lentils- When stocked up on dried lentils and legumes, there is always a healthy, hearty dished to be made.
Maple Syrup- A great natural sweetener and if you eat pancakes as much as we do...
Margarine- Make sure you get non-hydrogenated. I use Earth Balance, probably one of the best options out there.
Nondairy Milk- There are so many now: soy, almond, rice, hazelnut, hemp, oat, coconut, each serving it's own purpose...more on that later.
Nut Butters- I love nut butters not only for my baking but when I'm feeling low on energy and I need a good protein kick. Sometime I eat it by the spoonful!
Nutritional Yeast- Sprinkle it on everything. It adds an earthy, cheesy, nutty flavor and gives you the much needed Vitamin B12.
Nuts-There was a time I didn't like nuts. Now they are in everything. Check out some of my favorite nut-rich recipes here and here.
Oats- I eat oats every day for breakfast (unless I'm having my Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake) but also use them regularly in my desserts.
Oils - Coconut oil, canola oil, olive oil, and peanut oil are all important for their different uses.
Onions- A long shelf life and a high demand among savory recipes = a bag of onions in my basement pantry.
Quinoa- A very good source of protein, all vegans should be chowing down on this stuff.

Rice- Likewise rice, in all it's varieties, is important to keep in stock. And don't forget rice and beans make a complete protein. 
Sea Salt- A good salt will improve almost every single recipe you come across.Seeds- Stock up on this good source of fat and protein and add to salads and stir fries 
Spices- Be well stocked on all kinds of spices. Buy in bulk, it's cheaper and fresher.
Tempeh- A great soy protein used in many different ways and a great alternative to tofu.
Tofu- This wonder food should always be stocked in your fridge and pantry. There is always a good reason for tofu.
TVP- Another great soy protein good to have handy. Here is my favorite thing to do with it.
Vegetable Broth- I always like to have a back up on hand because it seems whenever I'm out, I need it the most.
Vital Wheat Gluten- With this around you can make seitan (wheat meat) as often as you please.
Yogurt - I love coconut based yogurts but there is also soy and almond.  Great as a egg replacer or for breakfast.

I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but here's the basics of my vegan pantry.
What top foods are in yours?

The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions

I picked up this cookbook the other day because the cover caught my eye. As a graduate of culinary school and a professional baker, I am often working with classic recipes, experimenting with ways to veganize them while keeping their integrity.

Turns out this book is a great resource for vegan newbies and veterans alike. For people new to the vegan diet, this book gives readers many traditional and simple ideas with easy-to-follow icons that take out all the guesswork involved. They use pre-made vegan substitutes like non-dairy yogurts or tofutti cream cheese.

But it is also great for vegan veterans. There are exciting new recipes varying in skill levels and sensitive to many alternative diets Check out these cheeses: Marinated Buffalo Tofu Mozzarella, Baked Macadamia Nut Brie, and Nutty Pepperjack.

 

And these Baby Back "Ribs" all made from scratch.

The book is organized neatly into chapters specific to each veganized animal products, including sections on replacing animal by-products, sugar, soy, and gluten.

So if you're looking to veganize it or learn what type of egg replacer to use when, if you are just looking for some good recipes, check out this book.

9 vegan substitutes

One of the most common questions I am asked as a vegan baker is, "and this is vegan?", which always makes me smile because I try very hard to change the way people think vegan food should taste. Vegan food is not all dry and cardboard-textured and it never has to be. Likewise, there is no need to eat super-processed food if you have a craving for something cheesy or meat-like. There are many things that can be done right at home.
Here's a quick list of my favorite substitutions:

1. Because Coconut Milk is so rich and fatty, it makes an excellent substitution for heavy cream. The most basic components for a pastry cook, ganache, caramel, or whipped cream are all improved with coconut milk.

2. Also creamy and fatty, Cashews can be ground and used for many types of non-dairy custards and cheeses. Follow these links to find recipes for hard cheese, ricotta cheese and nacho cheese. And check next week when I attempt a cashew pastry cream.


3. The great nutty and cheese flavor of Nutritional Yeast makes it a good substitute for
soft cheeses, creamy Alfredo-like sauces, or vegetable gravy. Also a very good source of B12 so vegans, sprinkle that on everything!


4. It would be hard (not impossible) to be a vegan without Tofu as I so easily substitutes for such a variety of foods. Depending on the type, tofu can be the invisible firming base in chocolate mousse, the spongy egg in frittata, the meaty substance of a TLT (tofu, lettuce, and tomato), and so so much more. I love you, tofu.


5. Flax seeds makes a wonderful egg replacement when baking. For each egg blend 1 tablespoon flax seed with 3 tablespoons water until the mixture is thick with an egg-y consistency. Also a great way to sneak a little health into some chocolate chip pecan cookies.



6. How many types of Non-dairy milk are there? Soy, hemp, oat, hazelnut, almond, rice, coconut...am I forgetting any? No matter the allergies, preferences, or dietary limitations, there is a milk out for everyone. I found a quick, simplified overview of different non-dairy milks and their uses here.

7. Try Texture Vegetable Protein in lieu of ground beef. It tastes so much better (says my meat-eating friends). My favorite way to use TVP is for tacos. Check back later this week when I have my full taco recipe up.


8. For a soy-free, high protein meat substitute try Seitan. There are all kinds of ways to prepare this mock-meat. In fact I found an online cookbook dedicating to the making of and cooking with seitan. Next Thanksgiving I'm making this.


9. Made from fermented brown rice, Brown Rice Syrup is a healthful alternative for sugar and honey. It can be replaced for both sweet and savory but must be adjusted in the recipe as it is about two thirds as sweet as white sugar and one third as sweet as honey.